Nightfall:Desperation
AM Omniance: June 8th 2:35 p.m. Downtown L.A., Quintessence of Ink Tattoo Parlor AM Omniance: Lucas: The humming of the tattoo machine is heard as he runs the needle across a young man's arm, filling in a the flames of an earlier tattoo with an orange color. He looks tired, something that's become the norm in the passed few months as he doesn't get much sleep. ...So are you planning on getting anything after this one? He pulls the needle gun away and then wipes the lingering blood off of Feliks' forearm. The part of the tattoo he's working on looks like it's done, but Lucas has gained a reputation in the passed two years for detailing the tattoos he does with a keen eye. He puts the needle gun back to the skin and keeps going, filling in the orange with skillful motions. AM Arbi: Feliks: He winces a little when Lucas brings the needle gun back down on his skin, even though he's a vampire it still stings. I don't plan on them. It's inspiration, it just happens. Understand? He says this in a friendly way. AM Omniance: Lucas: Yeah, I get what you mean. He pulls the needle away and wipes away more blood. Mine are the same way... He turns away, opening the back of the needle gun and taking out the needle and dye to put in a new color. AM | Edited 11:36:02 AM Arbi: Feliks: He looks at him as he walks away, having noticed something wrong lately but he hasn't said anything, feeling like it's not his business. Feliks's Voices: A great and powerful dragon that can no longer sleep, his eyes stare into a broken mirror. He wishes to find all the pieces but another paints them black, will he ever get his reflection back? Feliks: ...Tell me, Lucas. Has something been bothering you? AM | Edited 11:37:54 AM Omniance: Lucas: He fiddles with the tattoo gun. It's that obvious huh? He opens a bag with a new needle in it and slides it into the gun. Have you ever had a dream about something that happened once, but in the dream it's different than what actually happened? He carefully locks the needle into place. Like an alternate ending to a movie... The machine hums for a moment as he makes sure the needle is in right. He then grabs the new color and puts it into the gun, taking him time to make sure he locks it in right. AM Arbi: Feliks: He only thinks about it briefly before sighing. I can never remember my dreams, I wake up and they're gone. He looks back at him. Lucas, may I ask what your dream was? PM Omniance: Lucas: He pauses in thought. It's when I was younger... Four or five years back... I'm at... Home. He says the word with a weight that almost makes it have the subtlest hint of sadness. ...I know what's happening, but in the dream it happens so different than what actually happened... He pauses, thinking of a way to explain it. Me and brother were trying to get out of the house to go somewhere, but we both couldn't leave, so I had to stay behind and trick my mom into thinking we were both still home... He pauses again. Me and my brother are twins... But the dream is so different... He explains what happens, leaving out the supernatural parts, but Feliks seems to see his dream in small fragmented images of events, due to his Bloodline's curse. Lucas: He's in the kitchen of their old house, hiding behind the counter. The twin's mother is sitting at the table drinking tea to help her go to sleep, she's looking up at the evening news. He looks down at his hand, there's two blue pills in it, after a moment an ethereal hand appears that looks like his own, it grabs the pills and carefully floats over to the table, then drops the pills into her tea. He whispers quietly and closes his eyes. ...Sorry mom. Lucas: He fastens the dye into the gun and turns his stool to continue working on Feliks' tattoo. Both me and my brother snuck out afterwards... But that's not actually what happened... From there things just... Change completely. He pauses as his mind wanders, and another vision seems to ebb at the edge of Feliks' mind. Lucas: He throws a spectral punch at a teenage boy with messy blonde hair and unnaturally green eyes. Odie: He's hit in the side of the face and stumbles slightly, then turns and looks at Lucas just as another spectral fist slams square in his jaw. He's about ten feet away. Lucas: Yuri! He looks around. Yuri: You're too close! Odie: You punch like a child He leaps forwards and slams a fist into Lucas's shoulder, it has incredible power behind it, and launches Lucas back a good twenty feet and into an expensive looking table. Lucas: He gasps, grabbing his arm. It's either dislocated or broken at the shoulder. ...Light him up Yuri... Yuri: You don't have to tell me twice- Before he even finishes he whips his arm forwards and a stream of blue flames tears from him and crackles across the floor, crashing into Odie and engulfing in him dancing azure light, and the room immediately begins to get cooler. Odie: A deepness echoes in his voice as he speaks. Flames that don't burn, won't burn me, little boy. Odie's form is ripped away and his skin alights into two large wing-like appendages that sprout from the middle of a feminine figure's back. Tall and grey-skinned, with a crown of thorn-like horns, she stomp heavily towards Yuri. Yuri: Shit! Lucas! Odie rushes him quickly, and he doesn't want to light the demon up in fear that he'll ignite himself with the freezing blue flames. Lucas: He pushes himself up and an ethereal hand grabs a fragment of a broken table, rushing through the air to stake the demon through the heart. Odie: He's too fast however, and his large silver-clawed hand grabs the hand from the air. He brings it to his mouth and bites off several of its fingers with shark-like teeth. He crunches the ethereal flesh in his mouth as his free hand darts out and grabs Yuri, pulling him towards him. Now you will do what humans do. He slams Yuri down into the marble floor of the Prince's mansion, as he tosses what's left of the ethereal hand away. ...And die... He grabs Yuri's head with both hands and squeezes. Lucas: Yuri! He limply runs over as quickly as he hand, summoning his left ethereal hand as his does, but because he can't move his left arm due to the injuring, it doesn't seem like he can control the ethereal one either. As he reaches the halfway point to his brother there's a loud crack, and he watches Yuri's head burst like a balloon, sending bone, brain, and blood splattering over the white marble. He immediately feels something crushing down on his chest as his brother dies. Odie: I smell you... I know you're locked up in there... He slams his hand into Yuri's chest. Lucas: He falls to his knees, both in grief, and because he physically can't move all of the sudden, he looks up, a young man standing in front of him, wearing all black. Belxephon: You didn't last very long. He smiles with Lucas's face, and it widens into a cartoonish jack-o-lantern grin that glows crimson. He reaches for Lucas, but stops suddenly, blood running down from his chest and then dripping from his open mouth. Odie: There you are... He rips black organs from Yuri's body and shoves them into his mouth. Belxephon: He turns and looks back at the Astreiya Spawn, almost confused. He stumbles and then seemingly vanishes. Lucas: He watches Odie tear apart his brother. ...Yuri? Tears start to run down his face, and the floor around Yuri and the demon bursts into flames as a massive hellish wyrm ascends from the marble and consumes his brother and the demon both in a single gulp. Lucas: He wipes his face a little with his glove. You know if you want these flames to really stand out you might want to use a neon kind of yellow... It makes them... Pop I guess. PM Arbi: Feliks: He almost wants to comment on the dream but he feels like he shouldn't. Neon? I never thought of getting a color like that. I'll think about it. The phone on the nearby wall starts ringing. PM Omniance: Lucas: He continues on Feliks tattoo for a moment before looking around. Everyone else in the shop went out for lunch. Give me a sec I have to get that. He puts the tattoo gun down walks over to the phone, pulling off his gloves, then picking it up. Quintessence of Ink, how can I help you? PM Arbi: Ricky: Hey, Vera. His tone of voice makes him sounds a little worried. I just got a call from Odie, he's coming over right now. PM Omniance: Lucas: ...Wait, what? Odie? The possessed visage of Odie's face flickers in his mind for a moment. ...Did something happen? PM | Edited 12:38:39 PM Arbi: Ricky: He didn't tell me... He takes a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Look, can you take the day off and come home early? PM Omniance: Lucas: He looks over to Feliks. Yeah, it's a slow day and I don't have any more appointments... I just have to finish up one of our regulars and I'll be home, maybe in twenty minutes or so. PM Arbi: Ricky: Alright, I'll see you soon. Love you. PM Omniance: Lucas: He looks away from Feliks and blushes slightly as Ricky says the last two words. Love you too. PM Omniance: About twenty minutes later... PM Omniance: Lucas: He pulls up in front of his small apartment building on black ducati motorcycle. He pulls off his helmet, which has an orange dragon on it, and looks up at the studio apartment on the second floor. He hits the kickstand and gets off his bike, grabbing a small pack as he does, and walks onto the sidewalk. As he goes up the steps to his apartment he stops, seeing Murdoc's black firebird parked next to Ricky's silver porche. He smirks slightly, and then continues up the stairs and goes inside. He closes the door and puts his helmet on a small table at the entrance. I'm home! He walks out of the small foyer and into the main space of the studio. Odie: He's standing next to the kitchen table with Hunter, it looks like they probably got here just before Lucas did. His face lights up a little and he smiles. Lucas! He runs over and looks like he's about to hug him, but stops, and he rubs his back. Lucas: He moves forward and hugs Odie for a moment before letting go. Odie... How have you been? He looks Odie up and down, then looks to Ricky, then back to Odie. Did you get taller? Odie: Nah, I think you got shorter. He smiles a little. PM Arbi: Ricky: They just got here. Hunter: He's wearing some of Odie's clothes from High school, which fits better because he was shorter back then. He looks more relaxed, feeling more comfortable in this studio. Hey. PM Omniance: Lucas: He waves at Hunter, smirking as he remember the little boy that spontaneously appeared as they travelled across the country. What's up Hunter. He looks back to Odie. So... It didn't sound like you were here on good news... A few minutes later they're sitting down at the kitchen table. Odie: He's finishing up telling them what happened earlier, thought he's left out the part about the vampires. He didn't seem like Yuri at all... I mean... You know what I mean? He looks at Ricky. ...He had that look... That feel... Like he was possessed. He looks down as he touches the wound in his back lightly. PM Arbi: Ricky: That doesn't sound right. He looks back at Lucas. Your grandma sealed Billy away a long time ago. He can't possess you two, just like I can't get possessed anymore. PM Omniance: Odie: I haven't had a lot of encounters with "Billy"... So... He shrugs a little, uncomfortably. I think it's obvious something isn't right. Lucas: He sighs. ...Maybe it's just Yuri. Odie: What? Lucas: ...I think he was getting into a lot of drugs before he disappeared... The place you described sounded like a drug den... You said he had a wild look... And he stabbed you with a knife... It's not like he manifested some power he didn't have before. He looks at Ricky. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks at him for a moment before looking back at Odie. He's right... the chains, the invisibility. Those are all the same powers he's always had. PM Omniance: Odie: He looks back and forth at them like they're crazy. But it wasn't. He looks a little annoyed that they dont' have more faith in Yuri. Yuri wouldn't stab me in the back. He stands up an turns to his side lifting up the back of his shirt, there's a bandage with a red spot on it in his lower back. Look at that. Why would Yuri do that? Lucas: He was high. People do stupid shit while they're high on whatever cocktail of drugs they've taken. He sounds really mad all of the sudden. He murdered like seven people! Odie: All the evidence in that case is circumstantial. The only thing linking him to be the murderer is that he wasn't murdered. Lucas: That sounds like a pretty strong link to me. He glares up at Odie. PM Arbi: Ricky: You haven't talked to Yuri in a long time, Odie... He's not the same guy you knew back in high school. PM Omniance: Odie: he looks down and frowns, almost like a little kid. ...I refuse to believe it was him. Even Hunter could tell the difference. There was something wrong there. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks back at Hunter when he says that. Hunter: He's sitting on the kitchen counter, facing all of them but looking down at the floor. PM Omniance: Lucas: He lets out a long sigh. You know what? We're just gonna fucking ask. He gets up from the table. I'm tired of dancing around this fucking issue. He pushes his chair out of the way, causing it to spin and almost fall over as he walks over to the kitchen cabinet to the far right, he opens it and starts pulling out paints and brushes. Ricky knows these are his "special" paints and inks, the kind he used on Ricky's arm. Odie: He looks confused as he watches Lucas pull out a glass jar of crimson paint that almost looks like blood. Lucas: He grabs the jar and a large paint brush, then sets them on the ground and walks over to get a large roll of paper. He grabs it and rolls it across the floor. Time to talk to Billy. He looks over at the three of them. PM Arbi: Hunter: He looks down at the large roll of paper. Is that how you talk to him now? PM Omniance: Lucas: No. I haven't seen him since... He tries to remember as he kneels down next to the paper. ...You were born. He grabs the paint brush. ...But I've picked up a few things over the years. He looks at Ricky, his eyes darting to Ricky's tattoo, then his eyes dart to Hunter. Maybe demonology just runs in my family. He undoes the top of the paint jar, and as he dips the brush in it sizzles quickly. He pulls the brush out and runs it around the paper in sweeping motions with surprising precision, drawing circles within circles. The other three immediately recognize it as some kind of glyph used in rituals. PM Arbi: Ricky: He watches Lucas paint the symbols on the large sheet of paper for a moment before looking over at Odie. Where do you think he went? PM Omniance: Odie: He frowns. ...He took a picture of my mom from my wallet... And left it on the floor as he left... He looks up to Ricky. PM | Edited 1:52:10 PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks back down towards the paper, looking a little angry as he thinks about it. He'll have more than the police to worry about if he keeps this up... PM Omniance: Lucas: He almost seems to be humming something as he continues to create a more and more intricate design. Odie: ...Where'd you learn to do this kind of... Stuff, Lucas? Lucas: He pauses and thinks quietly for a moment as he's about to dip the brush again. ...From a dream. He drips the brush into the sizzling red pain and then runs it over the parchment. Odie: He looks at Lucas strangely and then looks to Ricky. PM Arbi: Hunter: He hops off the kitchen counter and walks over to the work out machine, laying back on it and trying it out as he doesn't look interested in Lucas's school project. PM Omniance: Odie: You gonna start working out Hunter? He looks over at the machine and smirks. PM Arbi: Hunter: Why? I'm already stronger than you. He smirks as he raises the weights on the machine with ease. PM Omniance: Odie: Nah-uh. He frowns. Lucas: Everyone's stronger than you Odie. He continues creating the glyph. It's so complex that it's almost unsettling that Lucas could do this simply from memory. Odie: He frowns more. You don't need strength when you can slice an entire building in half... PM Arbi: Ricky: He stands up and walks over to Hunter, looking down at him as he continues using the machine. Vera was on here last. Think you can lift as much as me? Hunter: He looks at his muscles and the strange tattoos covering all of them. I could try. Ricky: He moves over and lowers the pin into the lowest weight he usually works out with. Hunter: He tries pulling down on the bar but it doesn't move. He tries again with all his strength, raising the weights a few inches before they slam back down. Odie, help me pull this down. PM Omniance: Odie: He gets up and walks over, circling around off to the side of the machine, he grabs the bar. Alright... He looks at Ricky confidently. Ready Hunter? Say when. He stands ready to pull. PM Arbi: Hunter: Go. He pulls down on the bar with all his strength, Ricky and Lucas can see his biceps flexing hard since he's trying his best. The weights rise up twice as high as before but stop, both brother's arms start shaking as they're put to their limits. PM Omniance: Odie: I gotta let go Hunter. He says it with obvious stress. PM Arbi: Hunter: Don't. Give. Up. He almost growls as he keeps pulling down on the bar but the two of them quickly realize the weight is slowly going down as they're both getting exhausted fast. Rodin... Help. PM Omniance: Rodin: He jumps onto the machine from nowhere and grabs onto the bar with his mouth, biting down at the middle of their four hands, and pulls on it like a chew toy. The bar pulls down and the weights go up as high as they can go. PM Arbi: Hunter: He lets go of the bar and wipes his forehead, already a little sweaty from all that. Thanks, buddy. He pets his head. Ricky: Oh shit. He walks up to him and starts petting his back. I haven't see you in forever. PM Omniance: Lucas: He looks up at them and his bad mood breaks as he sees his friends messing around with. He smiles a little and then goes back to painting, his expression becoming serious. Rodin: He lets out a muffled woof as Ricky pets him. Odie: I couldn't totally done that without any help. Did I mention that I have four broken ribs, and a very recent stab wound? PM Arbi: Ricky: He grabs the bar so that Rodin can get down from the machine without just letting the weights fall. Since when does "mist form" Odie get hurt? PM Omniance: Odie: Another beautiful girl tried to kill me. He rubs his side lightly. PM | Edited 2:36:01 PM Arbi: Ricky: He walks over to the bed with Rodin, still petting him while he sits down on the edge. Does that mean you're still trying to find a girlfriend? He looks over at him. Hunter: He wanders around the studio a bit, just looking around while the adults talk. PM Omniance: Odie: Uhh... He scratches the back of his head. Not currently I guess. I'm in that weird limbo where I'm old enough to smoke, drive and shoot someone to death, but not get into night clubs and drink, so... PM | Edited 2:44:36 PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks down a bit when he mentions nightclubs, remembering Marcus for a brief moment. He takes his mind off it by rubbing Rodin's belly and watching him kick his leg from scratching a sensitive spot. Hunter: If you're not gonna use fake IDs anymore you should at least make me one. PM Omniance: Odie: I'm gonna get a real badge in like a month, I can't get caught making fake IDs or drinking underage. He frowns. Lucas: Well at least you have a license to kill. He stands up, done with the glyph, which looks like hundreds of circles, each within one another. ...And you always wanted to be a police officer right? Odie: He smiles. Yeah. PM Arbi: Ricky: He stands up and walks up beside Lucas, looking down at all the circles he drew. PM | Edited 2:47:32 PM Omniance: Odie: Couldn't you have just done that with a needle compass? He looks down at the intricate glyph. ...I've seen this before... Somewhere. Lucas: He looks at Ricky, though he was mad earlier and seemed confident, he's obviously nervous now that it's done. You guys gonna come with me? PM Arbi: Ricky: He's asking you two. He looks back at Odie and Hunter. I'm obviously going. PM Omniance: Odie: He looks at Hunter. Uhh... He looks back to Lucas. Where are we going? Lucas: Somewhere we haven't been in a long time... PM Arbi: Hunter: He walks up behind his brother and looks down at the paper. You sure this is gonna work? PM Omniance: Lucas: I know it will. I've seen it work before... Hundreds of times. He holds his left hand out to Ricky, and his other one over the glyph. Everyone who's going, hold hands. Odie: Maybe you should wait here with Rodin Hunter. Odie grabs Ricky's other hand. PM Arbi: Hunter: If you're going I'm going. He grabs Odie's hand and gets Rodin to grab his other hand with his paw. PM Omniance: Odie: He seems really nervous bringing Hunter. Stay close to me then. Lucas: He looks down at the circle and opens his hand. Belxephon. The apartment shakes and the lights go out, despite it being in the middle of the day, like someone just switched off the sun. The air smell dry and warm, and there's a crackling of fire. A voice rumbles through the darkness like fire as a massive crimson smile appears floating in the air ahead of them. Xephonsacul: ...To come crawling to me... You must be desperate... PM Arbi: Hunter: He grips Odie's hand a little tighter when he sees the smile and hears his voice. PM Omniance: Lucas: Similar to Hunter, he grips Ricky's hand tighter. ...We're not here to waste time. You're going to tell us what the hell is happening with my brother. Xephonsacul: Your brother? Which one? The smile moves closer, like its attached to some large invisible beast. The murderous dead and not-dead one? ...That one? The smiles vanishes and a whisper rings through the darkness. Or maybe it's the one that's just better than you. That one? The one that still gets to go home and have dinner with his mother and father... PM Omniance: Lucas: He frowns and looks down, realizing this was a bad idea, and he can't seem to think of anything to say. PM Arbi: Ricky: Just tell us what happened to Yuri. You're part of him, you should know... PM Omniance: Xephonsacul: The darkness lifts and a teenage Lucas is standing a few paces away from him. He was so alone... I could taste it. Unhappy. His brother had love, what did he have. NOTHING. The crimson smile appears across his face and horns curl from his head as his skin turns tar-black. Misery like that attracts all sorts of nasty habits, and nasty habits like that attracts all sorts of fun... You dead, not-dead, brother wanted more... Needed to feel special... So someone made him special. Surrounded him with friends to have some fun in the SUN... There's a far off laugh somewhere. PM Omniance: Odie: Is he possessed or not? Xephonsacul: He is and isn't. Just like how he's not-dead, but still dead. Lucas: Give us a straight answer or just fuck off! Xephonsacul: Oh you want a straight answer? How queer that you would want something straight. He laughs a little. His voice turns deep and serious. I am not here to obey your whims. PM Arbi: Hunter: ...Who is it? PM Omniance: Xephonsacul: But for my son... I will grant him an answer. He puts on a wide-brimmed hat. Your brother made a deal with a demon that I'm particularly fond of. I'm not telling you his name... Where's the fun in that? ...But mortals call him the Hatman. He flicks the edge of his hat and looks at them. A silly name, but then again you mortals aren't known for good names. PM Arbi: Ricky: He is possessed then... He looks at Lucas before looking back at Belxephon. Let's get out of here. I don't think we'll get anymore out of him. PM Omniance: Lucas: He raises his hand in a fist. Xephonsacul: How goes the nightmares? I've found them entertaining, but... The... Re-runs? Are making them boring... Lucas: He looks over at Belxphon. You're causing them. Xephonsacul: ...The me that isn't me is. Lucas: ...The Yuri... Half of you... He looks like he's about to realize something, but he's broken from the thought. Xephonsacul: He vanishes and everything goes dark as a massive smile spreads across the horizon. THE ME THAT ISN'T ME. The YOU that isn't YOU so you can see what YOU have seen. Lucas: He looks really scared suddenly and opens his hand. They're suddenly in the studio apartment. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks back at Odie. You were right... Hunter: When is Odie ever wrong? He sits down at the kitchen table. Ricky: Yeah... sorry about that. He sighs and wraps his arms around Lucas from behind, comforting him. PM Omniance: Odie: I'm a premier west-coast paranormal detective. He seems almost triumphant. Lucas: He looks back and forth. ...So what do we do? PM Arbi: Ricky: Luana and the Prince are gone... I don't think we have an easy way out this time. PM Omniance: Lucas: He looks down. ...He did this to himself... With full knowledge of what making deals with demons does. He looks to Ricky. PM Arbi: Ricky: He looks back at him. We still can't ignore this. PM Omniance: Odie: Yeah, he's going after my mom! Lucas: That's not what I meant. He looks to Odie. If it comes down to it... We might... His eyes start watering. PM Arbi: Hunter: If we do that, the demon wins. PM Omniance: Lucas: He gulps. ...Y-yeah... He lets out a quiet sigh. ...Hatman. He looks to Ricky. We've done this before. He looks at Odie. We can do it again. PM Arbi: Ricky: He nods. I'm with you all the way, Vera. PM Omniance: Odie: I'm on the case. He smiles. Lucas: He looks down, and doesn't seem very sure of himself. Demons... It's always demons... It's like we're magnets for them... Hat... Man...